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70s Fashion On The Get Down

Posted on 31st August 2016

PHOTO CREDIT: BAZMARK FILMS SONY PICTURES TELEVISION

Baz Luhrmann's resplendent cinematography and the
deliciously retro 70s wardrobe are front and centre through the
directors kaleidoscope lens. Showcasing prints, flares, glitter
dresses, classic trainers, cat-eye sunglasses, and copious amounts
of denim - the shows abundant in spectacle and sparkle so were
taking a look at the classic 70s style and the significance of
appreciating our clothes across lifetimes.

Words by Kirsty Lee

The style in the 70s hip hop series The Get Down is
just as considered and influential as the highly-documented disco
looks over in Manhattan at the infamous Studio 54 nightclub, which
also opened in 1977. In the world of Hip-Hop, authenticity is
everything. Your status, your street cred, revolves around adhering
to the rules and demands of that ineffable code "Keep it real".
Everything from your social alliances to yes, your look, is sized
up and analysed under a micro scope. Which is why the just released
Netflix series attention to detail of the eclectic and
vibrant 70s Hip-Hop is uncanny. The rhymes are fresh, the language
is killer and the clothes are spot on due to the production aided
by musical legends Grandmaster Flash and Nas. The Get Down
is set to be one of the most exciting small screen fashion moments
of the year.

PHOTO CREDIT: NETFLIX

For Flash, seeing that the period was accurately represented was
paramount. "It's a period that journalists never cared to ask
about. Now, this time that all the kids should know is on this huge
platform and it's becoming a topic of discussion. When we were
kids, that's the one thing we didn't do; we didn't record it, film
it, so there was nothing for these guys to reference. Baz has
cracked open this vault, and it is time for people to take a
look."

PHOTO CREDIT: NETFLIX

Being rich with inspiration and set in a time where there was
this big bang of culture, the former
Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll costume designer Jeriana
San Juan joins forces with Luhramann's wife and creative partner
Catherine Martin re-creating the sartorial expression of a world
that was on the brink of cultural dominance. Everything in the show
is displayed through a heightened perspective, in the same way
everyone thinks about their own childhood - things are always
bigger and more colourful than you remember them! Set in a
graffiti-strewn 1977 Bronx tableau about a gifted poet Ezekiel who
finds himself drawn to the underground block parties, and is
wrapped up with the Angelic priest's daughter Mylene. The series
tells a historically inspired 'mythical tale' showing the birth of
hip hop in the late 70s at the hands of wide-eyed teenagers living
in the gritty, dangerous South Bronx.

PHOTO CREDIT: BAZMARK FILMS SONY PICTURES

What were B-boys' favourite shoes? What made a pair of
Suede Pumas in 1977 really desirable?

Even in the very early days of hip hop culture, a pair of
trainers could elevate someone to legendary status, and so the red
Pumas and customised jackets flashing across the screen in every
episode are just as integral to Luhrmann's story as the epic
soundtrack and central love story. The boys in the series idolize
Shaolin Fantastic, the graffiti artist and dealer for the gangster
Fat Annie, who parkour leaps between Bronx high rises in pristine,
red suede Pumas. 'We hear, he has over 100 pairs,'- Just like in
2016, trainers signified status, and Martin worked with brands to
reproduce the exact styles the kids were wearing in 1977. There
were three shoes - Converse, the classic American sports shoe, Pro
Keds, which are just about to be relaunched in the States, and the
Puma. The suede Puma was the top of the top and certain colours
were more difficult to get.

PHOTO CREDIT: VOGUE

As for why Shaolin Fantastic wears the electrifying red suede
Pumas, Martin explains: "We gave a list to Baz of the colours that
you could get at the time and he picked the red because it's so
iconic and looks so good on screen, but you would always try and
get the most unusual colours. It was all about keeping your shoes
immaculate and clean which is why they talk about him having 100
pairs. People carried around toothbrushes to clean their shoes -
sometimes even today in the Bronx you still see people putting
plastic bags over their shoes so they don't get dirty."

The Get Down Girls

The show perfectly conveys how the forerunners of hip-hop wore
their passion for music on their sleeves - In the world of hip-hop,
authenticity is everything! The Get Down is fiction, but it tells
the story of "real" people and what they wore, which coincides with
the current interest in streetwear and clothes that are more down
to earth. While the eccentric flares and bold sideburns are period
touches, the halter crop tops and high waisted bloc colour shorts
are on point!

PHOTO CREDIT: BAZMARK FILMS SONY PICTURES TELEVISION

Diane von Furstenberg, Halston and Gucci opened up their
archives to the show. All three brands were powerhouses in the
hybrid era of disco and hip-hop. DVF provided archive photos of
actresses in her clothing from the 70s and archival pieces were
used as templates for a lot of the patterns seen throughout the
show. Ossie Clark was a huge influence for the prints and patterns
and Diane von Furstenberg, with wrap dresses. Adele Kipling wears a
wrap dress in the pilot, and that wrap dress is actually from Diane
von Furstenberg's archives. The silhouettes from the 70s were
stunning and San Jaun would adapt pieces directly from Gucci or use
elements like making the sleeve or collar, or adding a hem, or
manipulating the clothes so they would be more authentic.

PHOTO CREDIT: HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

A show about the birth of hip hop could easily be
male-dominated, but The Get Down also shows strong,
ambitious women, from formidable gangsters to girls defying their
evangelical parents. The showstopper sensational dress that mylene,
an aspiring disco singer steps out in is a stunning old lame dress
which takes direct inspiration from the Halston archives. The young
Latina girl, Regina is the voice of the trends that were happening
in Seventeen magazine in 1977, rocking a tied up western blouse and
roll up short shorts like Pam Grier wore on the cover of Jet
magazine.

The Set

The task of transforming the streets of Manhattan and bringing
the Bronx back to the burned out shell it was 40 years ago fell to
the dynamic trio Martin, Murphy and San Juan. DJ Kool Herc,
Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa contributed oral histories
for reference whilst high school yearbooks and private archives
from OG NYC street photographers Joe Conzo and Jamal Shabazz
provided a visual blueprint.

PHOTO CREDIT: NETFLIX

For the authentic exterior shots, the original street graffiti
artists including Crash, Daze and Lady Pink - who is the first lady
of graffiti, consulted with Martin. One of the things that was
signature for a graffiti artist to do at the time was to customize
their own denim jackets. Each graffiti artist wore their own jacket
like a walking museum. Lady Pink created original pieces for the
character Dizzee played by Jaden Smith - It's an original Lady
Pink; there's only one in the world!